


Some Days Are Better Than Others

by Tieria_Virtue_92



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Orphan Keith (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-13
Updated: 2018-11-13
Packaged: 2019-08-23 05:50:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16613126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tieria_Virtue_92/pseuds/Tieria_Virtue_92
Summary: What seemed like a normal day for eleven year old Keith Kogane turns into life changing nightmare and he must cope with the fall out from it. Contains epilogue.





	Some Days Are Better Than Others

**Author's Note:**

> This story was my entry for the Keith Birthday Baby Bang on Tumblr. I decided to write a non pairing story about what if one of his father's fellow fighters tried to gain custody of Keith and he was put in foster care because his father failed to make arrangements as to what would happen to Keith if his father died.I originally posted it in three chapters,but on here I am going to post it as a short story. I will include a link to the fan art that was done for my story.

Keith had been staying with the wife of one of his father’s fellow fire fighters when he got the terrible news. He had been playing in the backyard with the man’s son and daughter when someone arrived at the front door. The man was wearing a dress uniform, you know the type you see firefighters wear while riding one fire truck during a Memorial Day parade or a funeral. His father dropped him off at Lieutenant Harrison’s house since it was a Saturday and he was on the Gray shift this weekend. His father had called him earlier that day just to check up on him. He always did when he had to work a twenty- four hour shift. Mrs. Harrison always had her husband leave an extra radio in the kitchen at the house so she could keep tabs on what was going on at the fire department. Walton Hills, Texas was considered a medium sized town by normal standards and there weren’t many emergencies. It had been a very dry summer in that part of western Texas.

“Hey, Susan,” one of the fire fighters said as the woman answered the door. Susan Harrison had been in the kitchen getting the kids lunch ready. She didn’t mind watching Keith while her husband, Rob and Keith’s father Alex worked a Gray shift. Rob and Alex had attended the state Fire Fighter school in Amarillo. Keith was friends with the Harrison children because he went to school with Andy Harrison. He

and his father were frequent guests at cook outs and birthday parties. They didn’t know much about Keith’s mother other than that she left Alex and Keith while Keith was still a baby. Alex rarely ever talked about her and would quickly change the subject whenever she came up.

Susan looked out the window into the back yard to see what the children were doing. Andy and Keith were playing with toy light sabers and Jenny was up in the tree house with her friend Chelsea doing their own thing since they weren’t interested in playing Star Wars. She smiled at the sight of the two boys playing. Susan knew that Keith didn’t make friends easily and it warmed her heart to see her son befriend him. Susan turned to the one of the men that she had invited in and offered them coffee. Only one of them, Lieutenant Howard accepted a cup. Both men sat down at the table and Susan could tell from the look on their faces that the news wasn’t good.

“Susan, there’s been an accident at the fire scene. Several of the fire fighters were badly injured and we had only one fatality,” Lieutenant Howard said after taking a sip of his coffee. The blood drained from Susan’s face. Nobody liked hearing that a fire fighter died. Tears filled her eyes as she hoped that her husband was okay.

“Don’t worry Rob is fine. The person who died was one of our rookies. However, Alex is in critical condition and he was rushed to the hospital. The doctors aren’t sure he’s going to make it,” the other fire fighter said quietly.

Poor Keith, Susan thought. Alex didn’t talk about his family much and if Alex should die from his injuries, Children’s Services would have to put Keith in foster care. That was the last thing that his father would want. She had no idea how she was going to be able to contact Alex relatives.

Keith always went over to the Harrison’s house after school when his father worked Gray Shift for the Walton Hills Fire Department. He liked going over to the Harrison’s after school. As a general rule, he also spent the night with Andy. Mrs. Harrison, who he often referred to as Aunt Susan, worked at the local library and always helped him with his homework. Spring Break was next week and his father told him that they would go to Hampton Lake and go camping. He loved going to the lake and he was hoping that Andy would be able to go with them. Mrs. Harrison was like a mother to him since his father rarely talked about his mother. Keith would often ask him questions about her, only to get vague answers about how she had to leave them. He found it very frustrating. Earlier they had gotten off the school bus and were now in the backyard playing Jedi. Keith had left his lightsaber at the Harrison’s house last week. When Keith and Andy got home, Mrs. Harrison asked the boys what they wanted for dinner, they both said fried chicken and Susan started to work getting the chicken ready for dinner as the two boys headed outside. Andy’s mother let the two boys put off doing their homework to enjoy the nice weather. Jenny had joined them, only to bow out because she didn’t want to play Star Wars and her friend Chelsea was there so that she could have someone to play with.

“Boys. Can you come here a minute?” Mrs. Harrison called from the back door. She was standing at the door to the kitchen.

Keith and Andy headed inside to see what Mrs. Harrison wanted. As soon as they were inside, Keith saw the two firefighters sitting at the kitchen table. The looks on their faces didn’t bode well for the situation and Keith started to feel anxious. He knew who these men were since his father would invite them to his house for dinner or to help out on the farm. Keith recognized Lieutenant Howard and Captain Wilson and said a quiet hello to the two men. Both men had concerned looks on their faces and Keith’s heart started to sink.

“Hey Keith,” Lieutenant Howard said a compassionate look on his face. “There is something we need to tell you.” The man pulled out a chair and beckoned Keith to sit down. The boy reluctantly sat down, his hands trembling. He dreaded what the men were about to tell him.

“There was a house fire over on Franklin Road and it was pretty bad. We were able to get the family out in time, but their dog was still in the house. Your father ran back in to get it, but the smoke was really bad and the upper floor collapsed. We were able to get him out, but his injuries were severe,” Captain Wilson said.

Keith’s heart plummeted. He knew that his father’s job was dangerous and the possibilities that he might be badly injured or killed were high. He hoped that his father’s injuries weren’t too bad. Keith started to fidget in his chair and he turned to Mrs. Harrison. The concerned look on her face spoke volumes.

“When can I see him?” Keith asked. The boy’s heart started to pound as he looked at both men.

“We’re here to take you to the hospital,” Lieutenant Howard said an encouraging look on his face.

“Is it okay if we go with him, Alan?” Mrs. Harrison asked. The firefighter nodded his head.  
It was a long ride to the hospital. Keith sat in the back seat with Mrs. Harrison and Andy. Jenny had gone over to Chelsea’s house since she really didn’t want to go with them. Susan sat between the boys, her arm wrapped around Keith’s shoulder to comfort him. The boy had been anxious ever since he had learned about his father’s injuries. He had spent the majority of the ride staring out the window at the scenery as the car sped towards their destination. She didn’t blame him for being quiet and tried to talk to him.

“Keith, I’m sure the doctors are taking good care of your dad,”Aunt Susan said as she gave his shoulder a squeeze. 

Keith finally turned to look at her and gave her a sad smile. She could tell by the shine in his eyes that he was trying hard not to cry. Keith was a kid that didn’t cry easily. Keith knew that Mrs. Harrison was doing her best to help him through this. Part of him wished that his mother was here. The only time that Alex Kogane ever talked about her was on Keith’s birthday. There were times that Keith asked him about who she was, how they met and why did she leave. He rarely ever gave him a straight answer. The only thing that he ever told him was that when she left, was that she left a strange dagger that his father always carried and that he would give him the dagger when he was older and tell him the whole story. Keith often wished that Alex would tell him the whole story now, but his father always refused.

An hour had passed before they reached their destination. Once they reached the hospital in El Paso where Alex had been transferred. They parked in parking garage on the south side of the hospital and made their way to the hospital entrance.

Keith was reluctant to get out of the car. His heart was pounding and his palms felt sweaty. He never thought about what would happen to him if his father died. The ten year old boy thought that his life was going to be normal with it just being him and his dad since he didn’t know the exact details as to why his mother left him and his father. They quietly entered the hospital through the front doors of the hospital. Lieutenant Wilson approached the receptionist at the desk. The woman looked up from her computer screen.

“Hi, I’m Lieutenant Steven Howard. I am here to check on a firefighter who was admitted earlier today,” the firefighter said. “ We just want to know if he has come out of surgery or if he’s still in the emergency room.” Keith waited patiently with Mrs. Harrison and the fire chief. The was Keith’s first time visiting a hospital without his father and he didn’t like it one bit. It smelled strange and there were people in wheelchairs and families waiting to hear about the health of loved ones. It made him shifted from one foot to the other. He felt Susan grab his hand and give it a comforting squeeze.

“If you are asking about the injured firefighter that was brought in earlier, I believe that they just brought him out of surgery and he is in post-op intensive care,” the woman answered. She looked up at the man on the other side and tried to offer a comforting smile.

“I have his son with me. He is firefighter Kogane’s son and we brought him here to see him,” Lieutenant Howard asked. The firefighter was hoping that the doctors in the emergency center would allow Keith to see his father.

Keith and Aunt Susan walked along with Captain Wilson over to one of the couches. The eleven year old boy sat down heavily. He was hoping that the doctor’s would let him see his father. He prayed that his father wasn’t hurt too bad. He was so looking forward to going camping this weekend. It was a tradition for him and his father to go out to the lake. His grandparents passed away while he was a baby and he never met his aunt and uncle who lived out of state. He knew that his aunt lived in California and his uncle lived overseas. He hoped that his father’s injuries were not that bad and that he would only have to overnight. Keith had heard his father talk often about the types of injuries that firefighters were susceptible to. The best he could hope for was smoke inhalation and minor burns.

They had been waiting almost an hour when a young nurse came out of the doors and headed in their direction. She was a pretty blonde dressed in surgical scrubs. She offered the group a comforting smile.

“Hi my name is Sarah and I am here to take you to SICU,” the nurse said. She turned to see Keith staring at her. “Firefighter Kogane has regained consciousness. He has smoke damage to his lungs and severe third degree burns over most of his body.”

Keith’s heart sank. He was hoping and praying that his father’s injuries weren’t that bad and now they were telling him that his father was terribly injured. Right now he was wishing that his father wasn’t a firefighter and yet it was something that he was very proud of. He always admired his father for going out and saving people. Plus he also dreaded going into SICU to see him. He gripped Mrs. Harrison’s hand tightly as the nurse escorted them through another set of doors. They walked passed various different alcoves that were separated by curtains. Keith tried not to look around the curtains ,but sometimes the curtains were drawn back to reveal their occupants. Most of the patients were either were involved in car accidents. Keith had once heard his father talk about one gruesome accident one day after he came home from a forty-eight hour shift two years ago. It was not something that he liked to dwell on. While Keith was lost in his thoughts, the nurse stopped at fourth curtained off alcove.

“Your fireman Kogane’s son?” the nurse asked a look of concern on her face. Her hand was on the curtain as she turned to him. Keith nodded his head. He was now dreading seeing his father ever since he was told about Alex’s injuries. Sarah pulled the curtain back and the boy tried to hold back the sob that escaped from his throat. Alex was bandaged heavily and he was being supplied with oxygen from the tube that came over his ears and inserted in his nose. His father’s eyelids were heavy and his eyes were glassy. Keith was afraid to approach the hospital bed. Susan squeezed his hand and made a little sniffle. The nurse leaned toward his father.

“Mr. Kogane? Your son is here to see you,” she said quietly. Alex groaned in pain as he tried to speak. Keith approached the side of the bed and took his father’s uninjured hand. Alex gave it a squeeze. Keith leaned on the hospital bed and laid his head down on it. One of the other nurses attending the injured firefighter moved to pull him away, Sarah stopped her.

“I’m sorry sweetheart,” Alex croaked as he turned his head toward his son. Keith tried to smile but he just couldn’t. “I tried to be get out of the building after I pulled out one of the rookie. I went back to find to get the other one, but…” A single tear fell from Alex’s eye. Keith knew that his father hated losing one of his fellow fire fighters, but it was part of the job.

The nurses let Keith spend some time with his father a bit more, but visiting hours were almost over. Keith was very reluctant to leave his father’s side. Mrs. Harrison was almost tempted to ask the nurses if Keith could stay, but she knew that the answer would be “No”.

“Keith, honey,” Susan said as she sat in one of the rolling chairs that the emergency room doctors used. “We have to leave. Visiting hours are over and the doctors have to make sure your dad is going to be comfortable and without pain.”

Keith hopped down from the bed and gave Susan a look that she was all too familiar with. Keith could be very stubborn at times and she knew that being stern didn’t work with the boy. Keith’s eye brows scrunched up and his lips fell into a pout. Mrs. Harrison gave him a sympathetic smile and gently took his hand. Keith hesitated for a minute before he heard his father groan. He knew that his father would want him to not give Susan a hard time.

“Please go with Aunt Susan. You can come back and see me tomorrow,” Alex said his voice gravelly from have being in surgery. One of the nurses came by to give his father his medicine and that was their cue to leave. Keith followed Susan out of the emergency room. Before they left his father’s alcove, they were told that they planned on moving Alex up to another floor in the hospital and they would call and let them know what hospital room Keith’s father had been moved to.

The next day, Keith went to school as usual. He tried the night before when they got home from the hospital, to persuade Mrs. Harrison to let him stay home from school in case they heard about his father’s condition. Susan politely told him that his father wouldn’t be happy if Keith skipped school.

“I know that you are worried about your dad, but he would you want you to go to school,” his Aunt said.

He knew that she was right and reluctantly got ready for school the next morning. Keith was silent the whole bus ride to school. Usually he and Andy were very chatty while riding on the bus, Andy found Keith’s silence unnerving. The two boys walked off the bus and Keith felt everybody’s eyes on him. It made him very uncomfortable. Keith and Andy walked in to class and took their seats. The rest of the day was business as usual. So far, nobody had rushed into class with a message for Keith and no announcements over the intercom. Keith wanted to breathe a sigh of relief. When school let out for the day, Keith rode home with Andy and his mom as usual. He was almost afraid to ask Mrs. Harrison if she had heard anything about his father. She told them they would be going to see his father after he and Andy did their homework and had a snack. They would stop somewhere after seeing Alex when visiting hours were over.

Once they got to the house, Keith and Andy set about doing their homework so that Keith could see his father sooner. Once their homework was done, Susan piled the boys and Jenny into the car. It didn’t take them long to get to the hospital. While the children were at school, Susan got a call from the hospital that Alex was moved to the third floor of the hospital that contained the Burn unit. Susan knew that the Burn unit at the hospital in El Paso was one of the best in the state. They arrived just in time to see Keith’s father.

Alex was conscious when they arrived. He was in some pain, but was able to ask Keith how his day was.

“School was fine,” Keith answered. He wanted to ask how soon his dad was going to be released from the hospital, but he already guessed what the answer was going to be. He tried to smile, but it was hard to. Keith sat as close to the bed as he could. He reached out, took his dad’s hand and squeezed it. Alex squeezed back and took a painful breath. Keith wished that he could turn back time and beg his father not to go to work the day of the fire, but he knew that his father would have gone, no matter how much he begged. Alex took his job as a firefighter very seriously. Keith reluctantly left his father’s side once they announced that visiting hours were over. Aunt Susan wrapped her arm around Keith’s shoulder and lead him out of the hospital room and down the hall to the elevators. While Keith was spending time with his father, Susan was able to talk to one of the doctor’s treating Alex and learned that his prognosis wasn’t good. Alex had severe scarring on his lungs from breathing in hot air and if he somehow made a miraculous recovery, he would have to live on oxygen for the rest of his life.

Keith was quiet for the ride home. Aunt Susan asked what Keith, Andy and Jenny what they wanted for dinner. They stopped at McDonald’s on the way home and got meals to go. They waited until they got home to eat. It was a rather quiet night at the Harrison home. The next morning the Keith and the Harrison children went to school as usual. Keith was having a good day that day. However that came to an end while Keith and Andy were in gym class. They had been playing volleyball when Lieutenant Howard appeared at the doors of the middle school. Keith looked up to see what the other kids were looking at. Lieutenant Howard spoke to the teacher and Mr. Davidson called Keith’s name. Keith left the group of students and walked over to firefighter.

“Keith, I am so sorry,” Steve said. “ This afternoon your father passed away in his sleep. The doctors tried to revive him, but they were unable to.” The firefighter told him as they walked out into the hall. Lieutenant Howard’s eyes were shiny with unshed tears and he pulled the boy into a hug. Keith was so stunned that his arms remained at his side and he fought to keep from shedding any tears. He wouldn’t cry. He just wouldn’t.

Lieutenant Howard drove Keith and Andy to the Harrison home after delivering the horrible news of Alex Kogane’s death. Keith had been silent the whole ride home even though the older man and Andy tried to get him to talk. Keith was processing the news that he was now an orphan. He was very scared since he had no other family than his dad. Once Alan and Steve asked Alex what he would do if anything happened to him during a fire if Alex didn’t survive. Alex reassured his friends that nothing was going to happen to him. It was almost as if Alex was tempting fate. Keith’ s father wasn’t particularly close with his older brother and sister because they were at least ten years older than him and probably wouldn’t want to take care of his son. That had always bothered both Alan and Susan whenever the subject came up. Now that Alex was dead they began to worry about what would become of Keith.

“I wish that Alex had made a will so that if anything happened to him, Keith would have a guardian to take care of him,” Susan told her husband as they waited for Lieutenant Howard to bring Keith home from school. The Harrisons wondered if there was something they could do. If Keith became a ward of the State they could petition to become his legal guardians. Then Keith would be able to finish middle school and go on to high school here in Walton Hills. Alan considered Alex and Keith family and let Keith call him and Susan “Uncle Alan and Aunt Susan” since he was able to talk. Susan was surprised when not just Keith got out of the car, but Andy got out of the car as well.

“Andy! What are doing home?’ Susan asked her son came up the stairs to the front door. Andy gave his mom a sheepish smile.

“I asked if I could go home because Keith shouldn’t be alone right now,” his friend answered. Andy had been Keith’s friend since they were toddlers and he had always been there for him. It always bothered Andy when Keith wouldn’t tell him things.

Keith followed Andy up the stairs and the front door and sat on the couch in the living room. Alan walked over to sit on the couch beside him. Lieutenant Harrison didn’t know what to say to the boy sitting sullenly in his living room. He wanted to tell Keith that his family was there for him.

“Keith, Susan and I are going to do everything in our power to keep you here in Walton Hills,” Alan said as he took the Keith’s hand and gave it reassuring squeeze. Keith tightened his grip on the older man’s hand. He wanted to believe that the Harrisons would let him live with them ,but right now he was still stunned by the new that his father was dead.

Keith was right now was having a maelstrom of emotions as he sat on the couch. Grief had been the primary emotion that he was feeling as he rode to the Harrison’s house from school. As much as he was grateful for Andy being allowed to come home with him, Keith never felt so alone. It had always been him and his father since he was a baby. Plus he also felt anger. He always seemed happy around his friends, but he was also jealous of them as well. He wished that his mother had never left him and his father. But she had. Once he asked his father about his mother, but the only thing his father would tell him was that she had a job to do, but that she loved him and wanted to protect him, so she had no choice but to leave.

Fortunately, Alex did make arrangements for his funeral and it was fairly easily planned. The Walton Hills Fire Department was going to give Alex Kogane a full honors firefighter funeral to honor his service to the community. While they were preparing to make sure that Alex wishes were honored then came the phone call both Keith and the Harrisons dreaded. It was a call from the Wyatt County Children’s Services. The agency had heard that Alex hadn’t made arrangements for what should happen if he died on duty and came to the house to see Keith. Keith was relieved that Uncle Alan and Aunt Susan were able to ask the county to wait until after the funeral to meet with them and Keith.

It was the day of the funeral and everybody got up early. Susan took Keith over to his house to pick up some clothes for him to wear to the funeral. Last year for a fellow firefighter’s wedding , his father bought him a nice suit at Kohl’s for Keith to wear to the ceremony and the reception. Keith went upstairs to his bedroom to retrieve it when he saw the new fishing pole for their camping trip laying on the bed. He had left it there the day he went to the Harrison’s house because his father was called in to deal with the fire that killed him. While he was looking at it, Keith felt a sudden rage come over him. He grabbed the fishing rod and tried to break it in half. It would only bend and not break, so Keith hurled it across the room. Then he grabbed the quilt from off his bed that had been made for him by Captain Davis’s wife for his birthday three years ago and ripped it off the bed. Aunt Susan ran up the stairs when she heard the noise. By the time she reached Keith’s room and found it a wreck. Toys and clothes were everywhere, the dresser drawers pulled out and Keith standing in the middle of his room breathing heavily.

“Keith!” she exclaimed when she saw the state of his room. She knew that Keith was upset that his father died, but he didn’t have to trash his room. Keith looked at her, trying to hold his tears at bay. “Honey, why did you trash your room?”

Keith was breathing hard from his tantrum. He wanted to tell her it wasn’t fair, why did this have to happen to him, but the words wouldn’t come out. Keith picked up the quilt and held it against his chest. He stood there silently before dropping the quilt and running into Susan’s arms.

“What’s going to happen to me?” Keith sobbed, his voice muffled against Susan’s chest. The woman wrapped her arms around the boy’s trembling shoulder. Susan maneuvered herself and the sobbing boy so that they could sit on the unmade bed. Susan rocked him back and forth, wishing she could do something to easy his pain.

“I don’t know,” Susan answered. “Uncle Alan and I are going to ask to become your guardians. Then won’t have to go into foster care.” She and her husband were looking into hiring a lawyer who handled guardianship issues. They hoped that it wouldn’t take long to get legal guardianship of Keith. Keith brightened up at the offer and started praying that the Harrison’s would let him live with them.

The funeral was the next day and today was the visitation at the funeral home. Susan helped Keith straighten up his room and hanging in the closet was his suit. Once they retrieved some of Keith’s clothes, they headed out to the SUV and drove quietly back into town. Susan turned on the car radio to a Country station, that just happened to be Keith’s father’s favorite. His father always played this radio station when ever they went for drive or going camping. The station started playing one of Alex’s favorite songs and that’s when Keith spoke.

“Aunt Susan, can you change the station? I really don’t want to listen to this kind of music,” Keith said, it brought back so many happy memories that he wasn’t ready to revisit. Susan nodded her head and changed it to Keith and Andy’s favorite station. They listened to the station which played groups like Panic at the Disco and Fall Out Boy. At least it would take Keith’s mind off the funeral and his uncertain future. He wasn’t looking forward to having to talk to people he didn’t know. He wished that he could just stay at the Harrison’s or better yet at home, but he wouldn’t be allowed to stay there by himself. He would just have to endure that unending questions and pitying looks from people he’d known all his short life.

The visitation was at 4:30 and it didn’t take long for Keith to change into his suit and they all loaded into the Santa Fe and drove to the Mitchell & Keller Funeral Home where his father was laying in his coffin. Keith and the Harrison’s walked in the front doors of the building and Keith looked around at the faces of people that his father served with and those whose lives Alex had saved.

The visitation last from 4:30 to 7:00 and they left the funeral home and stopped at a local Taco Bell for dinner. Originally Keith was going to ask the Harrison’s if they could eat at a different fast food place, but he didn’t really want to have McDonald’s again. After they finished eating they returned home. The next day was the funeral. The Harrison’s and Keith returned to the funeral home and one of the firefighters approached Keith with something in his hands. It was the strange knife that his father always carried with him. Captain Davis came over to where Keith and the Harrison’s were sitting and sat down beside Keith.

“I was going through your father’s locker and found his knife,” the Fire Captain said. “I know that he would want you to have it.” Keith gingerly took the knife from the man’s hand and held it against his chest. A fresh wave of tears fell down the boy’s cheeks and Susan wrapped her arm around Keith’s shoulder and let him sob against her shoulder. Keith remained silent through out the whole service and he told himself that he would not cry. Crying wouldn’t bring his father back. Keith rode with the Harrison’s to the cemetery. They were seated near the gravesite and Keith was given the American flag that had been draped over Alex’s coffin before it was lowered into the ground. They eventually ended up at Captain Davis’s house for the wake and Keith spent most of it in a numb state and on autopilot respond to the kind remarks and inquiries at to who was going to raise him. He really didn’t want to end up in foster care. Keith had known kids at school who were in the foster care system and they told him horror stories.

The next day, Keith was allowed to stay home from school because that was the day the county social worker was going to come to the Harrison’s in order access Keith’s situation. The social worker, Mrs. Jones. She was a woman in her forties and she seemed nice enough. Mrs. Jones talked with the Harrison’s first and got a general idea of them as a family. She wanted to see Keith interact with them, so she spent the afternoon watching Keith with the Harrison’s. She sincerely wished that Keith could stay with the Harrison’s but they hadn’t been named the boy’s legal guardians. She had attempted to contact Alex Kogane’s relative, but since neither Keith’s aunt and uncle had had any contact with Keith and his father, they wouldn’t be ideal guardians for the boy. It would be up to the State to decide where best to put Keith.

The next day, Mrs. Jones returned to the Harrison home to deliver the bad news. Keith had gone to school that day and came home happy and full of excitement. Keith had been distracted all day because he was hoping that Mrs. Jones was going to tell the Harrison’s he could live with them. He ran into the kitchen with Andy in tow, when he saw Aunt Susan, Uncle Alan were sitting at the kitchen table with the county social worker. The smile on Keith’s face disappeared the moment he saw the adults. Keith sat down to hear the bad news.

“Keith, I told Mr. and Mrs. Harrison that in this point in time I’m afraid we are going to have to put you in foster care,” Mrs. Jones said an unhappy look on her face. Keith felt tears start to form but forced them down. This was his nightmare come true. Aunt Susan took Keith’s hand and squeezed it tight.

“Uncle Alan and I are going to go to court and fight for custody of you,” she said. “We don’t want you to go into foster care.” Keith wanted to believe her, he really did. Mrs. Jones thought that the Harrison’s would make excellent foster parents. They were kind and knew Keith extremely well. However they had to have training to be properly and would have to be on assistance. However it took a year for a placement to happen. So it was decided that Keith would go into foster care until the Harrisons were able to get custody of him. The county had already found a family in another town to place him with and he would have to leave in a week. It would give Keith time to say goodbye to the Harrisons and his classmates at school. Keith got up as soon as he heard what his fate was going to be and ran upstairs to the room he shared with Andy and slammed the door. He really wanted to stay with the Harrisons but he had already been declared a ward of the State. He felt a surge of anger sweep through him and almost started to throw things like he did at the house where he and his father lived.

Keith spent the next week getting ready to leave Walton Hills and all the familiar people that made life enjoyable. At the end of the week, Keith’s classmates threw him a farewell party so that he would remember them. He had been quiet to the point of being sullen, even though he appreciated their thoughtfulness. He really was going to miss them, especially Andy. He was going to miss him the most. On Friday when they came home from school, Uncle Alan and Aunt Susan were waiting for him. Also there was the social worker, Mrs. Jones. She had come to pick up to take him to the foster family he was going to live with.

Keith and Aunt Susan went up stairs and started to pack his things. The Harrison’s let him borrow a suitcase to put his clothes in as well as the stuffed hippo that he had had since he was a baby. He also stuffed his father’s knife in the backpack that he used for school. When they were finished packing all of Keith’s things, Susan gave him a big hug and came down stairs with him. Alan and Jenny also hugged him as he was getting ready to leave. The last person he said goodbye to was Andy. Now that they were both eleven years old, they felt that they were too old to hug.

“I’m sorry you have to leave,” Andy said quietly. “Maybe mom and dad will be able to talk to the judge and he will let you come back to live with us.” Andy looked back at his parents who smiled sadly as they watched to the two boys part ways, hopefully not forever. Without saying another word, Keith lunged forward and wrapped his arms around Andy.

“I hope so,” Keith said quietly. He hoped that his best friend was right.

“Keith. It’s time to leave,” Mrs. Jones said. She was standing by the door and took the suitcase from Mr. Harrison and offered her hand to Keith and the boy reluctantly took it. Keith and the social worker walked out of the Harrison’s for the last time. It was late afternoon and the sky was a beautiful blue and there was no cloud in the sky. Keith followed Mrs. Jones to the car that was sitting in the driveway. Keith hoped with all his heart that he would he would see them again, but he was realistic and knew that things had changed forever.

Epilogue.

Keith had never imagined that his life was going to turn out like this. He thought he was destined to be the kid that nobody wanted anything to do with because of his anger issues. After leaving the Harrison’s he was in four foster homes in eighteen months. He didn’t get along with any of his foster siblings and was bullied by his classmates. Even though Keith was a good student and tried to stay out of trouble, but trouble always seemed to find him. Then he met Takashi Shirogane, one of the instructors at the prestigious Galaxy Garrison when he was fourteen years old. Shiro had seen something in him other’s didn’t and was able to cut through all the thorns that Keith had grown over the years. One of the reasons that Keith had grown close to Shiro was because he reminded him of his father in some ways. Then the Kerberos Mission happened and Keith was expelled from the Galaxy Garrison because he got into a fight with one of the instructors. While he was adrift he found the shack in the desert and the strange carvings in the caves close by. He had been the best pilot in the Garrison and now he ,three of his former classmates and Shiro had become soldiers in interstellar war that had been raging for thousands of years against an alien empire. He also discovered that he was half Galra and his mother was a member of a secret society that had been fighting the Galra Empire as well. He joined it ranks for a short while before being reunited with his mother named Krolia. Now they returned to Earth and freed it from the Galra hordes and now fought a seemingly unstoppable Robeast.

Keith was lying in a hospital bed, just having woken up from a drug induced sleep. He could hear two female voices talking. He recognized his mother’s voice, but he didn’t recognize the other woman’s voice at first. Then he listened more close and finally remembered it.

“At first I found it hard to understand why a mother would leave her child. But after what you told me, you had no choice,” the woman’s voice said. Keith slowly opened his eyes and saw Krolia sitting in one of the chairs by the window with another woman who looked familiar. At first Keith had a hard time placing her. Then he finally remembered. He recognized Susan Harrison and he started to get misty eyed.

“Aunt Susan?” Keith said groggily. And the two women turned to the young man. A sad smile graced the older woman’s face and she pulled the chair over to the bed. Krolia gave her son one of her rare smiles and sat down on the side of the bed.

“Susan and I were just talking about you. I know that the Harrison’s tried very hard to have you come live with them,” Krolia told him running her fingers through his hair. Keith gave Susan a tired smile and sat up. Susan leaned forward and gave Keith a gentle hug. The years rolled back and Keith was an eleven year old boy again. He had missed the Harrisons and was glad that he could see them again. Keith asked Susan about Andy and the rest of the Harrison family.

“I’m so glad that Keith could see you again. And I really appreciate you taking care of him after Alex died,” Krolia told Susan. The other woman smiled and reached over to pull the alien woman into the hug as well. Keith was glad that he had both women back in his life.

The End.

**Author's Note:**

> https://lets-shklance-together-voltron92.tumblr.com/post/179458630470/amaryka-some-days-are-better-than-others-this
> 
> Here is the link to the fan art for my story. Amaryka did an amazing job on the art!


End file.
